Matthew and the Chimney Sweeps: Book One (Completed, Editing)

Chapter Eight B: Leech

On top of Maple Hill, Matthew and Slink met two others there to practice.

'What is that, Slink?' said Tiffany, a girl with braids. She was pointing to CrateyII. 'Is it a new cart of yours? If it is, I think you're slipping.'

Although CrateyII didn't look like Blue Thunder or any of their other carts, Tiffany had no right to say what she said as her cart and the cart of her friend, a tall girl wearing the biggest of boots, looked no better.

'This is just a practice cart,' Slink replied, making sure CrateyII's wheels were properly aligned as it sat behind the starting line. 'You won't be seeing it on race day.'

'Oh,' Tiffany said flatly, looking disappointed.

Smiling at him, Tiffany's friend asked, 'Matthew, are you going to be racing in the next race?' Her name was Apricot.

'I don't think so,' Matthew replied. The way Apricot was staring at him was making him slightly uncomfortable and he blushed with abashment. 'This will only be my second practice and the first one didn't go well at all.'

'I could give you some pointers if you want,' said Apricot. She winked at him. 'Or private lessons.'

Matthew did not want that at all but couldn't bring himself to say no. He didn't want Apricot to hate him.

Coming to the rescue, Slink said, 'Sorry, Apricot, but I've put him on a strict practice regime.'

Apricot scowled at Slink, jumped into her cart in a huff, and took off down the hill. Her friend was quick to follow.

'Thanks, Slink,' said Matthew.

'You're welcome.' Slink reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of leather goggles, putting them on.

Matthew couldn't help but laugh. The goggles were way too big for him. With his weird looking, uneven hair that Jennifer hadn't fixed yet, he looked like a house fly.

'We'll just go a little ways down the hill,' said Slink. 'I'll drive CrateyII first while you stand on the ledge and then we can switch.' He jumped into the cart and took the steering rope.

Matthew kicked away the rock keeping CrateyII from moving and stepped onto the ledge, instantly crouching down.

'Ready?' asked Slink.

'Ready,' said Matthew.

Slink took his foot off the brake pedal and they began to move. 'At the start of any race, you want to try and get ahead of everyone else. But if you don't think you can accomplish that, stay well back. You don't want to be in the middle of everything . . . because things can get crazy and carts have the habit of getting damaged.'

'Got it,' said Matthew, tightening his grip on the back of CrateyII.

When they had left the grassy clearing and were heading for the bump in the track that had launched Matthew into the air the first time at the last practice, Slink said, 'Never take the Speed Bump at full speed, always brake.'

Slink didn't have to tell Matthew that.

'But the stream ahead,' Slink continued, as they went over the bump, 'always take it at full speed . . . you don't want to get stuck in it.' Slink and Matthew ducked so they wouldn't get splashed. 'That happened to me in my first race . . . I finished last.'

The sharp turn that had led to Matthew's aerial acrobatics and the destruction of Cratey was soon upon them.

'Always go into this corner on the inside,' said Slink, 'and make it sling you out to the outside because there's another corner right after this and it's better to enter it from the outside.'